Kissing 'could help women find love'

Let's face is, single women around the world have kissed their fair share of frogs in the hope of one day finding Prince Charming.

And while doing so can feel like a waste of time and energy when it happens, enjoying lots of smooches with prospective Mr Rights could actually be beneficial in the long term.

A new study from Oxford University has suggested that kissing helps women in the quest to find their ideal man, due to the fact it allows them to assess their potential other half.

The research revealed that locking lips with a date allows ladies to weigh them up through the sensations of taste and smell, thus gaining information about their compatibility and general health.

And not only that, scientists claimed that kissing also plays a significant role in keeping existing couples together and reinforcing affection in the relationship. In fact, those duos who kiss more are usually happier than those who do not.

Published in the journal Human Nature, the study collated answers from more than 900 adults in order to discover "what's in a kiss?". Participants were asked about the importance of kissing in both short-term and long-term romances.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, researchers identified a difference of opinion between male and female respondents. Scientists also found participants who viewed themselves as attractive believing that kissing was more important.

Commenting on the findings, lead researcher Rafael Wlodarski from the university's Department of Experimental Psychology said kissing is "incredibly prevalent in various forms" in every society and culture.

He explained: "Our findings suggest that when we kiss information is passed on. It’s an excuse for two potential partners to get close enough together in a socially acceptable way and find out some extra information about potential desirability."

"It could [be that] people are picking up chemical signals when they kiss, either from taste or smell, which subconsciously tell them if they are genetically compatible."